Stay in the loop

Late Night in the Bedroom is now at episode 3. Have you seen it? A side project of a group of friends associated with Whippersnapper Gallery, the web-based video talk show is, just like ArtStars*, trying to create more awareness and dialogue about the Toronto arts scene. It's shot in front of a live audience, originally in an apartment next to the gallery. Cozy.

Episode 3 above was filmed during the recent Manifesto Festival and features a number of short interviews including participating artists Elicser and Roadsworth. Earlier this week I connected with the Producer of the show Josh Barndt to find out more about how things are going so far and what's in store going forward. Here's our Q&A.

UPDATE: There seems to be a problem with the video for Episode 3 so we've replaced it with Episode 5

When did you decide to create Late Night in the Bedroom?

Late Night in the Bedroom is a very fresh project. It was conceived this summer by a group of artists and friends who work out of Whippersnapper Gallery. One summer night the idea was proposed by theatre actor Carey Wass (who went on to be the host of the show) that we should create a live audience late night talk-show. It would bring together local emerging artists working in visual arts, dance, theatre, music and more to speak about their work and further get exposure to online audiences.

One week from that night we held our first show in my apartment next to the gallery. We had some shitty cameras, a 50-person audience, a band in my kitchen and amazing guests. It went so well we had to continue it. After our first episode Istoica joined onto the project with their top notch cinematography and production. The show really wouldn't be what it is without them.

How often do you plan to publish new episodes?

We started off doing a show ever 2-3 weeks, but since no one is doing this as a job that proved to be too much, so now we're doing 1 show a month. Our next show will take place on October 30th at Whippersnapper Gallery.

So you won't be filming them all in your apartment?

We shot three shows in my apartment. The domestic set made the shows very intimate, but it was super cramped. Our last show was shot at 52 McCaul inside an exhibition that had been created for the Manifesto Festival. The space was large and we actually shot the show within an installation by Piotr Adas who we had as a guest on that show. It worked really well, so we're going to role with that and try a few more shows at Whippersnapper Gallery.

What is it about a talk show format that appeals to you?

These shows are live happenings that we produce into a show. We bring in interesting artists and cultural players that are doing important work in this city, and in front of a live audience of artists and friends. Carey, our host, talks to them face to face about their work. We really want to bring people together and have open public dialogue. The artists we have on the show are doing super intriguing work and their vibrant personalities really contribute to it. Just watch Piotr Adas or Elicser's interviews in the last show.

Each episode of Late Night in the bedroom is a full show with a diverse range of guests.

Do you find the length is an issue for the web?

When we started we were concerned that people wouldn't watch a show that lasted more then 5 minutes, but people have been watching. More then 1,000 people viewed our first show in the first three days it was online. Our generation doesn't watch TV. We have transitioned to streaming media online. We're hoping to continue to build an audience that will take the time online to take in our show. So we'll continue to bring on the best artists we can find.

What has been the response like so far from the arts community?

The best part about making this show has been building new amazing relationships with artists across the city. People seem to been really juiced about the project. We get emails all the time from artists and art lovers showing support, offering help and asking to be guests on the show. This is really exciting to us. There are so many wicked artists in our community who deserve to have larger audiences. We see this show as a way to not only expose local artists to new audiences but expand our understanding of their work.